To me, vintage Audemars Piguet is one of the most exciting, underappreciated, and beautiful categories of watches to study and collect. But let's not get it twisted.

I won't pretend that as a whole, the vintage Patek Philippe market doesn't trump just about all other vintage markets combined, including AP. Still, that doesn't mean individually Pateks are the most valuable, desirable, rare, or even most interesting. I would contend, and I know I'm not alone in this, that piece by piece, a complicated, vintage Audemars Piguet is far more interesting than your average complicated vintage Patek, and after this article, I think you'll agree with me.

Today, we've prepared for you a highly detailed recap of a full day that we spent with the team at Audemars Piguet digging through some of their most important and beautiful early-20th-century pieces. Our hosts for this exploration will be Sebastian Vivas, director of the Audemars Piguet Museum in Le Brassus, and Michael Friedman, AP brand historian. There simply aren't more knowledgeable scholars on the topic anywhere int he world.

Included in the video above the and story below are some absolutely mind-blowing early grand complication pocket watches, super slim minute repeaters, and seriously the most beautiful chronographs I've ever seen. In fact, I would venture to guess that many of you did not even know AP made watches like what you're about to see at any point, and I have no doubt in my mind you will be left duly impressed. Let's get into it.

Grand Complications

The grand complication is a specialty of Audemars Piguet, and they were making them back all the way to 1882 (which, for the record, pre-dates the Palmer Grand Complication by over a decade). One of my particular favorites is this incredible Art Deco Grand Comp with blue enameling on the bezel, with oversized numerals made by Gübelin. I've just never seen anything else like it.

Minute Repeaters

One specialty of the house of Audemars Piguet is the minute repeater, and its work in the field of chiming watches is second to none (see this, and more recently this, for examples of how AP is putting chiming watches to the test even today). The largest piece above (left) was built in 1923, and it's one of the most beautiful pocket watches I've ever seen, with a two-tone dial, black-lined numerals, moonphase display at 12 o'clock and rare linear date display at 6 in a white metal case. The watch was sold in 1931 (and again in 1941) and AP records show just five of these pieces were constructed. It sits next to two of the smallest repeaters ever made by any company, including that tiny piece at right, which was produced in in 1921 for the President of Tiffany & Co. It features a miniscule 7 ligne movement.

This particular ladies' wristwatch made in platinum during the Art Deco period features an absolutely tiny 8 ligne movement, one of the smallest ever fitted to a bracelet watch. That means in just a diameter of 15.6 mm, over 720 different melodies will be produced to chime all the minutes in a 12-hour period. The caliber was placed inside a stunning piece of jewelry for E. Gübelin, who you will see received much of AP's earliest high watchmaking efforts.

But it is AP's men's minute repeaters from the middle of last century that really set the tone for what AP does today. Above you can see the original John Shaeffer repeater (which we showed you here) at left, and in the center, one of the most impressive and important minute repeaters I've seen. Cased in solid platinum in 1924, this watch is enormous on the wrist. It is a piece unique for Gübelin and the trigger for the repeater is not your typical slide, but instead a trigger that goes from bottom to top. The sound quality on this piece is absolutely incredible, and it was this watch that AP R&D studied in the development of the just announced Acoustic Research 1 Concept Watch. Finally, at right we have a stunning simple gold repeater produced in 1937 and sold in 1957. AP records indicate it is one of just a few with these extended lugs.

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Jump Hour Wristwatch

This unique example of a white-metal jump hour is something you almost never see. AP is again known as one of the spearheads of these digital display pieces, and this one features stunning ribbed sides and wandering minutes display. This example was produced back in 1928 and sold in 1931 to Beyer.

High Precision Watches

Now I would bet most of you have never seen a watch like this from AP, and that's a shame. To me, they are some of the coolest wristwatches ever produced by Audemars and I'll explain way. First of all, we are jumping ahead a few decades here in to the 1940s, when the wristwatch really began to gain a foothold. Second, we are talking extremely large watches for the day, and third, we are talking the finest, most precise movements put into AP wristwatches, well, practically ever. These watches used a large 13 ligne movement from Valjoux called the Caliber 13VZAS. Essentially, this movement was the base movement of all the great chronographs of the day from the likes of AP and Patek Philippe, but modified for high precision timekeeping. You can see that the dials mounted to these large movements are clearly two register chronograph dials, re-purposed.

But what makes these watches so incredibly cool is the amount of research and modification that went into the movements. The goal here was the absolute best timekeeping possible. In the example above, which dates to 1943 (sold in 1948), the dial even reads "Precision" right on the dial. Now if you are thinking this watch looks a lot like that $4,000,000 Chronometer made for JB Champion by Patek Philippe, you'd be exactly right – it too used the same 13 ligne movement. Though, Patek's modification of that movement was more extensive, and they submitted them to the Geneva Observatory. AP didn't feel the need to submit its watches to reach Bulletin status, but the level of finishing and craftsmanship in these old Precision watches is second to none. Here is an excellent look at these watches if you'd like to read more about them.

The same large 13 ligne high-precision movement was also used in AP's very seldom seen world-timers, like this one from 1943. AP did not use Louis Cottier's system of dynamic world-time complication as seen in watches from Patek and others, but instead used a passive display. Essentially, the dial at right would simply display the time difference between each timezone as a reference. While not technically complicated like the Cottier watches, it's still a very cool look, coupled with the fine movement and large case size, this is a watch I would love to own someday.

Chronographs

Okay, so the world of chronographs is where things get really interesting to me. First of all, I just love chronographs in general, and second, vintage AP chronos are leaps and bounds ahead of their competitors in so many ways. First, lets look at general rarity. Let's take for example how many Patek Philippe 2499s were made over some 35 years: 349. That is 349 of arguably one of the finest wristwatches ever made, right? For sure, and there are four different series of 2499, so these pieces are rare, certainly. But, consider the fact that Audemars Piguet as a whole, in the vintage era, made at most 300 chronographs, all in. That includes the early mono-pushers, the later two-button guys, the pieces worn by French Lieutenants, the oversized pink golds, the 36 mm triple registers – everything – and they are all so different from one another. Vacheron's family of chronographs are clearly defined, as are Pateks, but AP's aren't. Almost anything is possible, and at any given time one could find a Patek 1463, 130, or 1579 for sale. The same goes with a Vacheron 4032 or 4178 – if you really wanted one, you could find one. With AP, you just can't (believe me on this one, I've tried). When AP chronographs come up at auction, people pay attention, and for the special pieces, anything goes.

These two examples are incredibly early pieces from AP's chronograph family, both using the 13 ligne Valjoux chronograph caliber (the example above is actually the very first!). These mono-pushers always featured enamel dials, and represent the origins of the chronograph for Audemars Piguet. They date to the early 1930s.

Triple Calendar with Moonphase

Audemars Piguet also worked on some absolutely stunning triple calendars with moonphases. This example here is one of just four made, all between 1926 and 1930, but sold between 1942 and 1948. Each has a unique dial and this one is particularly special because it is a three-tone dial.

This later and larger example dates to the period when AP first began to assign reference numbers to watches (1951), and this one holds the number 5504. But, AP reference numbers are seldom used by even the most devout followers of the brand, and a search for a watch by number 5504 will yield you very little. Still, this watch is absolutely superb. AP's caliber number for this watch is the 9/10RS, and again, you will not likely see two of the exact same watch with these triple calendars moonphases.

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Chronograph With Triple Calendar And Moonphase

But imagine we could combine the best of an AP chronograph with the best of an AP triple calendar in one, hyper-beautiful, immensely rare watch. Yes, AP did just that in the production of a very, very small number of triple calendar chronographs. It must be stated that these watches did not directly compete with the 1518 or 2499 because these APs are simple calendars, meaning they will not automatically advance at the end of short months or for leap years, but they are, in my belief, still far, far cooler and more special than your average yellow-gold 1518 or 2499. And remember, Vacheron made triple calendars, and they made chronographs – they did not make watches with the two combined. Patek only made perpetual calendar chronographs, not simple calendar chronographs, making these APs the absolute pinnacle of the category.

This very example features a two-tone steel and pink-gold case (that looks as if it shares the case with the chronograph owned by Alfredo Paramico). This watch was built in 1942, sold in 1945, and would eventually be assigned the reference number 5503. Just look at this thing – truly a work of art in proportions, symmetry, and case design.

Here is another triple calendar chronograph from AP that might even be more beautiful than the last. Sure, the case is slightly smaller and in simple yellow gold, but the seemingly oversized moonphase (for this case size), the blue outer scales, and the two-tone nature of the sub-registers elevate this watch to true dream status. This very watch is featured prominently in the excellent article historian Michael Friedman wrote for AP's website here. This watch is one of 10 known by AP, all being made between 1941 and 1942. To me, it's just about perfect.

Perpetual Calendar

At the very top of the vintage AP wristwatch food chain, however, is this. Dubbed the reference 5516 and made in 1957, this is one of just 11 perpetual calendars made by Audemars Piguet in the vintage era. It is believed that this watch was the very first watch made in serial to feature a leap year indicator on the dial, something that has become the norm for the entire industry.

The crisp gold case, full of untouched charm in oxidation, plus the painfully beautiful two-tone dial, is really something remarkable. Of the 11 examples made of this early perpetual calendar, nine feature the leap-year indication. Of the nine with leap year, six feature the moonphase at 6 o'clock (like this) and three have the moonphase display at 12 o'clock.

There are next to no records of these watches changing hands, and the scholarship is still being developed by AP and others. The reference 5516 sits as an almost unheard of, hardly explored option in early complicated wristwatches that is traditionally dominated by Patek Philippe. But as I've said many times in this article, and I think now you'll agree with me, this watch and all of the vintage Audemars Piguet watches we've seen today are truly in a league of their own.

BONUS – The Original Archive Of All First Series Royal Oaks

Though we focused on true early and mid-century timepieces from AP in this story, I couldn't help but be excited when I was shown this book over the summer in Le Brassus. This is the hand-written history of the earliest Royal Oaks, including case and movements numbers, where they were sold, and to whom. The reference 5402 Royal Oak holds a very special place in my heart and to see firsthand the history of my watch, and those around it, was really something special.

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Additional Reading

For more on Audemars Piguet, have a look at the Week On The Wrist we produced on the Royal Oak Chronograph. It provides a good analysis of AP in the modern era and what makes them so interesting as a leader in high-end watchmaking.